Fathers Day shoppers face closures as Dutch retail staff strike over Sunday pay cuts

Fathers Day shoppers in the Netherlands face widespread disruptions on Sunday as staff at Gall & Gall, Etos, and Kruidvat prepare to strike over new collective labour agreements that reduce Sunday pay, trade union FNV confirmed on Friday. The walkouts, announced by the union on 19 June 2026, threaten to close hundreds of stores across the country just as families plan last-minute purchases for the holiday.

Workers at Gall & Gall, the Dutch liquor chain owned by Ahold Delhaize, will walk out after rejecting a new collective agreement that removes double pay for Sunday hours, according to reporting by NRC on 19 June 2026. Employees acknowledge a general wage increase but argue the loss of Sunday premiums leaves them financially worse off. “Despite the raise on other days, we’re still going backwards,” one employee told NRC .

The strike action extends to Etos and Kruidvat, two other Ahold Delhaize chains, where staff will also down tools on Sunday, FNV stated the same day . The union represents workers across all three chains and confirmed the coordinated stoppage would affect stores nationwide. Retail analysts warn the closures could create long queues at remaining open shops and force consumers to postpone purchases.

The dispute centres on the revised collective labour agreement (cao) that standardises pay scales but eliminates the long-standing premium for Sunday work. While the agreement includes general wage increases, employees whose schedules include Sundays say the net effect is a cut in real earnings. The chains have not offered a counter-proposal, and negotiations are not scheduled to resume before the strike begins.

In Amsterdam, public transport users are already contending with service cuts on the IJ-pont ferries operated by GVB. The company announced on 19 June 2026 that weekend sailings would be reduced again due to a shortage of qualified skippers . The decision follows repeated disruptions this month and leaves commuters and shoppers with fewer options to reach city-centre stores.

With Father’s Day falling on Sunday, retailers and unions are locked in a standoff that pits labour rights against consumer convenience. FNV has not ruled out extending the strike if no settlement is reached, raising the prospect of a prolonged disruption to essential retail services across the Netherlands.